My last report covered all the medical care documents you’ll need, such as your HIPAA Authorization, health care power of attorney (HPOA), living wills and advance directives. Today we lay out some working guidelines for making important medical care decisions. Do not resuscitate/hospitalize It’s common for older patients, especially frail ones in nursing homes, to […]

Your estate plan should be about a lot more than finances. An estate plan isn’t complete, for example, without the medical care documents. In fact, I always recommend making this a priority. Have the medical care documents finalized while you’re still considering the other issues in the estate plan. Also understand that medical care documents […]

I’ve found that long-term care is, without question, one of the most difficult aspects to handle in retirement planning. In Part 1 of our LTC piece last week, we covered some of the basics of long-term care, such as costs, elimination periods, and types of payouts. In today’s story, we’ll “cut through the sales talk” […]

Long-term care expenses are one of the great retirement fears. For many people, the cost and uncertainty of long-term care are only one reason for the anxiety. Even more anxiety is triggered by trying to sort through the options to fund potential long-term care expenses. Comparing the choices baffles even many financially savvy people and […]

The financial crisis is raising new concerns about long-term care insurance policies. In December Conseco announced it was transferring most of its 140,000 long-term care insurance policies into a nonprofit trust supervised by the Pennsylvania insurance commissioner. No new money will be put into the trust to pay claims, and insurance rater A.M. Best warned […]

The possible need for long-term care is one of the greatest concerns of American adults. Recent data indicate the concern is well-placed. Baby Boomers are forecast to need long-term care at a greater rate than their predecessors because of longer life expectancies and improvements in medical care. One federal report estimated that 13 million Americans […]

This could be an auspicious time for owners of long-term care insurance policies to consider upgrading or exchanging. While many people have not purchased the policies those who purchased them in the past should take a look at what is available. The biggest gripe of LTC policy owners is premium increases. There are a few […]

Changes are occurring that could make long-term care insurance more attractive to consumers. These changes, plus some shrewd moves by policy buyers, can ensure that more consumers have protection from the expense of long-term care at an affordable price. One change that has been taking place over the last few years is consolidation of the […]

Called “America’s #1 Retirement Expert,” Bob Carlson’s retirement planning advice spans from tax and estate planning strategies to IRA, Social Security, medical care and investment strategies. His advice has helped tens of thousands of people for more than a decade.